Non-native honeysuckle shrubs dominate this forest understory and have choked out native plants on Ricker Hill in Poland Spring, Maine. You can see this for yourself on Route 26, just across the road from The Lodge at the Poland Spring Resort. The dense green thicket below the trees are all invasive honeysuckle shrubs, native to Read More
Maine wildlife
A “Winter Finch” Holiday for Birders
For birders, especially those of us here in Maine and the eastern U.S., a holiday of sorts is fast approaching. Bird enthusiasts anticipate it the way many youngsters look forward to Christmas morning. But this fine-feathered special occasion takes place just once every two years or so. Staffers at the Natural Resources Council of Maine Read More
My Maine This Week: Kristin Jackson
“This cute Northern Saw-whet Owl was hanging out on Munjoy Hill in Portland this weekend just in time for Halloween festivities. He safely flew away to a tree after this photo was taken.” Photo by NRCM staff member Kristin Jackson of Portland, Maine. Learn more about the Northern Saw-whet Owl in this Boothbay Register column, “The Invisible Owls,” by Read More
Hallowed Habitat
Typical Halloween decorations, stories, and traditions invariably include “spooky” wildlife such as owls, bats, and spiders (oh my!). However, I invite you, my dear reader, to focus on these creatures in a fresh, new way this Hallow’s Eve, by providing them with “Hallowed Habitat.” It’s my favorite month of the year—October! The hardwoods are showing Read More
My First Visit to the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
I have wanted to go to the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument since it opened. I had that opportunity when my college roommate(of 50+ years ago) asked me what I wanted to do during my visit with her in Lincoln this year. We set out from her house on a beautiful Tuesday morning in Read More
My Maine This Week Slideshow: Images by Callie Wronker
How did I get interested in nature photography? Well, I always liked being outdoors, especially in the woods, and I’ve always been interested in how things come together, whether it’s a garment (I used to make clothing), or a house (I bought a 70-acre woodlot in Waldoboro once upon a time and built my own Read More
Sharing One of Maine’s Best Kept Secrets: My Family’s Hike in the Nahmakanta Public Reserved Lands
Maine’s Public Reserved Lands may be our best kept secret. The peace and solitude found on these trails in the height of tourist season is simply astonishing. I’m asking myself why I would interfere with that by drawing attention to them through a blog post. There are a few reasons. Drawing attention may help with Read More
My Maine This Week: Judy Berk
NRCM Advocacy Communications Director Judy Berk captured these photos recently near Northport, Maine. “At first I thought I saw a log. Then I thought it was a muskrat, but the fluffy tail wasn’t right. Squirrels swim. Who knew? I kid you not. Learn something new every day,” writes Judy. We’re not the only ones who Read More
Baby Bats Need Love, Too
“I never grow tired of seeing flying bats silhouetted against an inky-blue sky. It stirs up a special kind of magic in my heart.” The other evening after dinner we were sitting around the fire in our backyard – (oh, what a simple patio and a fire bowl can do to encourage time spent under Read More
